Retail Panel

PERFORMANCE DAYS, Munich

C54

Tuesday 04th March 2025

15:20 - 16:20 CET

What magic has retail brought to the conversation?

About the orators

Ben Blischke

Intersport

Brad Boren

Norrøna

Chief Sustainability Officer & Director of Innovation

Brad has worked at Norrøna for over 20 years where he held the position of Director of Research, Design & Development prior to his current role as Chief Sustainability Officer and Director of Innovation.

Within Norrøna he is responsible for the strategic direction on sustainability and social welfare including the company’s 2029 corporate road map as well as sustainable innovation. He sits on the 1% for nature steering committee which provides financial support towards positive change. Brad was the Chair of Textile Exchange’s Bio-Synthetic work group and was on the Higg Index Strategic Councils for both the Product Module and earlier the Brand and Retail Module. He also represents Norrøna with Fashion For Good, the Swedish Textile Initiative for Climate Action and Bluesign.

Most recently, Brad is working with the environmental foundation Bellona where Norrøna and Bellona partnered to open up the Center for Marine Restoration to work towards restoring 5000 km2 of kelp forest in northern Norway that has turned into desert. Brad holds an MBA in International Marketing from California Polytechnic and previously worked in management positions at Reebok and Helly-Hansen.

Debbie Read

Rab

Head of Corporate Communications and CSR

Debbie Read has spent 20 years in CSR and environmental-related roles in manufacturing and supply chain organisations. Her passion for educating and engaging organisations drives process and communication changes. This increases clarity in impact and understanding and ultimately enables a step change in reducing impact and creating more positive business outcomes. Debbie has used this skill to drive carbon metrics and reductions, Fair Wear brand leadership, effective cause partnerships and industry collaborations like Rab’s Material Facts Collective and EOG’s SDEX program. She has been at Equip Outdoor Technologies (owner of Rab and Lowe Alpine) for six years. When not working, Debbie will be found out in the hills (& mud) on a mountain or gravel bike.

Judith Waller

Mid-Sweden University

Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering

Dr. Judith Waller is an associate professor specializing in functional textiles and materials at the Sports Tech Research Centre, Mid Sweden University. She obtained her D.Phil. in Materials Science from the University of Oxford and spent nearly a decade in industrial R&D before shifting her focus back to academia, and to sustainable product development in sports. Driven by a passion for reducing the environmental impact of products, her research spans various outdoor-related activities, including the Durability Project— assessing the reasons for end-of-life and using these to develop methods to measure the durability of waterproof and breathable jackets. When not analyzing worn-out gear in the lab or peering through a microscope, she can often be found exploring the outdoors on her gravel bike.

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Exhibitor List March 2025